It is readily apparent to an observer of the vehicle repair industry that the traditional way of securing repair cost estimates for minor vehicle damage is outdated, inefficient, timely, and costly. When faced with this type of repair, many consumers struggle with a fundamental choice, i.e., whether to submit an insurance claim for the repair or pay the cost of the repair themselves.
If the consumer decides to submit a claim to the insurance company, traditionally the consumer will have to wait for three different estimates before the repairs actually begin. First, the consumer waits for the insurance company to dispatch an adjuster to estimate the cost of repairs. Generally, the consumer must then blindly decide which shop will complete the repairs. When the consumer does decide on a shop, a second estimate is written by the repair shop. This estimate is often times drastically different from the estimate written by the insurance adjuster. In this case, the shop contacts the insurance adjuster for another inspection of the vehicle. Finally, when an agreed cost to repair is reached between the insurance company and the shop, a third estimate is written and repairs to the consumer's vehicle begin.
Since this traditional method also results in higher operating expenses for the insurance company, ultimately all consumers who own insurance policies are indirectly impacted as these costs are often passed onto the policyholder in the form of increased policy premiums. Even when the consumer decides not to report the minor damage to the insurance company, many vehicle repair shops inflate the estimated cost to repair presumably in order recoup losses in the lower, negotiated repair rates with insurance companies. Consequently, a customer who desires to pay the repair cost himself is often at the mercy of the local repair shop, and securing estimates from several local repair shops usually involves unreasonable outlays of time and effort because the damaged vehicle must be driven to each repair shop so that the vehicle can be inspected prior to the quote. An improved process, addressing these issues, is long overdue.